


Working Out

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Annoyed Sam Winchester, Awkward Dean, Dating, Eye Candy, Flirting, Fluff, Gay Male Character, M/M, Sexy Castiel, Shy Dean, Teacher Castiel, man crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 16:11:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3296588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So I go to the gym (definitely not regularly enough, lol), and as I was leaving on Tuesday I happened to stop and catch a Zumba class in action, and I got the idea right then for this fic and I just KNEW I had to go with it.  This is an AU where Dean is getting a little pudge around the middle (remember, he IS closing in on 40), and he's unhappy about it, so he concedes to Sam's suggestion to start going to the gym with him, and when a new class starts up for aerobics, Dean again agrees to do it if it means he'll start losing weight and getting toned faster.  Class starts out well enough with their instructor Charlie, but when Charlie gets hurt a new instructor takes over, and he's HOT.  Dean can't keep his eyes off the man, and the new instructor is having a hard time keeping his eyes off of Dean too.  Harmless staring, flirting, and daydreaming, but there's a happy ending to it.  I needed something cute and fluffy after handling domestic violence in The Bar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Working Out

Working Out

 

“Son of a bitch!” Dean hissed as he felt the seam rip out of the back of his pants. Nearby his brother started laughing hysterically.

“Shut up Sam!” Dean snapped, but the anger in his voice was tinged with embarrassment as he stood up straight and tried to pull his shirt down to cover the gaping hole that was now putting his boxers on full display. He was glad he was at home still.

“Dean! Oh my God, I can’t stop laughing!” 

Sam was doubled over on the couch laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face and he was clutching his belly as his body was racked with spasms from laughing like this. He wasn’t sure if it was the comical way in which the pants decided to split or if it was his brother’s mortified expression after it happened. Either way, this was the funniest thing he had ever seen.

Dean chucked a pillow at his brother and stormed off to his bedroom to change out of the offensive pants. Once he had them off he stopped to look at himself in the full length mirror mounted on the back of his bedroom door. He’d put on a bit of weight in the last few years but he guessed that was to be expected, he was thirty seven after all, but he’d never had his pants just split like that before. He turned and looked at his reflection, lifting his shirt to see the slight paunch that he’d been developing as of late. The last thing he wanted was to just let himself go and get fat, but apparently that was exactly what he was doing. Funny, he didn’t remember giving up. He moved to the closet to find a new pair of pants and realized that more than a few pairs had to be pushed aside as they no longer fit comfortably. He settled on a pair of sweatpants and pulled them on before returning to the living room. Sam had stopped laughing like an idiot but he still had an amused expression on his face.

“Not a word Sammy, or I’ll cut you.” He warned.

Sam shook his head. He wasn’t going to bring that up again, not if he wanted all the teeth in his mouth to remain where they currently were.

“Hey, if you’re worried about your weight maybe you should get a gym membership.” He suggested.

Dean glared at his brother for a moment. He wanted to be pissed at him for even suggesting such a thing, but the idea of hitting the gym actually sounded very appealing right now.

“Maybe I will.” He mumbled.

“I have a membership to one here in town. They have a lot of equipment and they do classes too, for like aerobics, Zumba, all of that stuff. There’s a pool too if you just want to swim.” Sam said.

Dean mulled over the idea of going to a gym. He hated working out, but he liked swimming, and that burned calories and toned the body. Maybe he could find a way to burn off the calories at this gym.

“Get me a price on the membership.” He said, ignoring the goofy smile on his brother’s face.

“Alright, I will.” Sam said. Maybe now he’d have a gym buddy.

It was a week before Sam could get his brother to come down to the gym and sign up, but he did and soon they were there at least twice a week working the equipment, though honestly Dean just wanted to play around in the water. Sam noticed the sign up list for an aerobics class and started nagging at Dean that they should sign up for it.

“I’m not dancing Sam.” Dean growled over dinner that night.

“It’s not dancing, it’s cardio, as in it gets your blood pumping and burns a lot of calories. You need to start working off all those years of bacon cheeseburgers man.” Sam countered.

Dean looked down at the chicken salad on the plate in front of him and sighed. So far he hadn’t really felt any changes in his weight. His pants were still uncomfortably tight. Forty was sneaking up on him and it was not going to be nice.

“You’re sure it’s not dancing?” 

“It’s not dancing, I swear. Check it out on YouTube. And make sure you look up aerobics, not Zumba. And besides, dancing is an excellent way to lose weight and tone your entire body, so would dancing really be so bad?” Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. He guessed it wouldn’t be so bad. 

Aerobics class started a week later. Sam was eager to do it. Dean, not so much. They were two of the only three guys in the class and that made Dean very self-conscious but his brother didn’t seem to care. The instructor was a bubbly red head named Charlie that Dean couldn’t help but like her. It didn’t even bother him to learn that she was into women because he didn’t like in that way. Her girlfriend was one of the trainers. Charlie had a knack for making class fun and he found that he was able to match her pace without messing up too much. Within two weeks he noticed his calves were more toned thanks to the stair stepping she’d added to the routine. He was loathe to admit it, but he actually liked doing aerobics. Sam did too, though Sam had more stamina and more enthusiasm than Dean could ever muster. Still, they enjoyed the class and a couple times a week they got to spend time together. With work and life they didn’t get to see each other nearly enough anymore. It was the second class in the third week when they showed up early expecting their usual class. They were chatting with a couple of the ladies they saw every week, most of them housewives looking to regain their bodies back after having had kids, when a man in a tight white shirt and even tighter black shorts walked in. He went to the front of the class and stood there with his hands on his hips looking out over the group. Dean hadn’t noticed him at first but Sam did. He nudged his brother.

“What?” Dean asked.

Sam nodded toward the front of the class.

“Who’s that? Where’s Charlie?” Sam asked in a low voice so only Dean heard him.

Dean looked up at the man in the tight shorts and froze. The man was absolutely gorgeous. He was looking out over the crowd and clearly doing a head count.

“Where’s Charlie?” Someone asked.

The man smiled and Dean was pretty sure that his heart stopped for a second.

“Oh, Charlie had…an accident. She fell on the ice yesterday and busted up her knee, so I’ll be taking over her class.” The man explained.

“What’s your name?” Dean blurted. Immediately his cheeks reddened and he looked at his brother who had an obnoxious smirk on his face.

The man was looking directly at him and he had the bluest eyes Dean had ever seen. “I’m Cas.”

“Are you sticking to Charlie’s routine?” Sam asked.

“That is my intention. If I move too quickly, please don’t be afraid to tell me. I usually teach the advanced classes so I have to slow myself down for this one.” Cas said, directing his words out over the crowd. 

Sam elbowed his brother and Dean realized he was still staring at the overly attractive instructor.

“Dude, stare a little harder.” Sam teased. 

Dean blushed and glared at his brother but Sam was laughing and turning away to start warming up. He decided to do the same thing. Charlie had encouraged a warm up before each class so that no one strained muscles, so Dean busied himself with stretching. When he finished he turned around to find the instructor staring right at him. When he realized Dean had noticed, he quickly looked away. Dean turned to see if his brother had noticed it but Sam was engaged in a conversation with the lady next to him about where to buy organic vegetables. 

“Ok class, we’re going to get started now.” Cas announced, and he held up a hand to gather everyone’s attention. Thirty faced turned in his direction as he started the music. Then class actually started.

Dean felt as though he were dying. This was nothing like what Charlie did, and he knew he was a hot, sweaty mess before they had even reached the halfway point. But he was loathe to be the one to raise his hand and ask Cas to slow down. Instead he struggled, barely hanging on until the very end. When the class was done Sam clapped him on the back and walked away looking like he had barely broken a sweat at all. Dean hated him in that moment. He leaned down, breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath and slow his heart rate down. If he started walking toward the locker room now he might just pass out.

“Are you ok? Did I go too fast?” 

Dean stood up quickly and found himself standing face to face with Cas. The man was even better looking this close up. He looked concerned. And damn it if he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“I’m ok. It was faster than Charlie goes, but I’ll adapt.” Dean tried not to sound half as winded as he really was.

Cas smiled sympathetically. “I do apologize. I’m just used to moving at a faster pace. Is this your first aerobics class?”

Dean laughed. “Is it that obvious?”

Cas smiled. “Maybe a little.”

“It was my genius brother’s idea, but he runs every day so this comes easily to him.” Dean admitted.

“The man with you? That’s your brother?” Cas asked.

“Yeah, younger brother if you can believe it. He’s a bit of a fitness nut.” Dean could feel his breathing normalizing and he was able to talk without gasping for air now.

“Oh, that’s nice that you can do this together.” Cas said. There was something in the way he said it that made Dean laugh again.

“What, did you think we were a couple?” He asked.

This time it was Cas that blushed, but he didn’t answer. Instead his eyes narrowed as he looked anywhere except at Dean’s face.

“Yeah, wouldn’t be the first time people have made that mistake. We’re brothers that actually like doing things together. We actually get along.” Dean kept his tone casual and his expression neutral. He wasn’t going to reveal how amused he was at seeing this gorgeous man blushing.

“You ready?” A voice behind Dean spoke up and he turned to see Sam standing there.

“Hey Sammy.” Dean said and turned to look at Cas again. “This is my brother Sam. I’m Dean.”

Cas held a hand out to Sam. “Very nice to meet you. It looks like aerobics comes easily to you.”

“It’s not my first aerobics class, but I did it so Dean wouldn’t have to do this alone.” Sam explained, ignoring the death glare his brother was giving him.

Cas turned his blue eyes on Dean again and offered his hand. “It’s nice to meet you as well Dean, and I promise on Tuesday I’ll slow things down a bit.”

Dean wanted to be macho and tell him he didn’t have to slow it down, but truth was, he wasn’t twenty five anymore and this pace was killing him without enough practice at it.

“Well, I’m going to go do a few laps in the pool. I guess we’ll see Tuesday?” Dean was looking directly at Cas who smiled and nodded.

Sam hit the weights while Dean changed into his swim trunks and went to the pool. In the water his stamina was better and he easily glided through the water like a knife through butter. Swimming relaxed him and somehow it managed to take away most of the ache that came from doing aerobics. He had done ten laps when he heard the door to the pool room open. 

“Dean? I’m leaving, ok? I’ll see you Tuesday.” Sam said.

Dean paused in his laps to look up at his brother. “Alright man. I’ll see you Tuesday.”

Sam gave a quick nod and left. Dean returned to his laps, completing another five before he was too tired to keep going, then slipped from the pool and went to the locker room to take a quick shower. On his way he passed the aerobics room but it was empty. Cas was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t dwell though. He knew he’d see him again on Tuesday.

When Tuesday rolled around Dean strode into class whistling a Metallica tune and took up his spot next to his brother with a smile on his face.

“What are you so happy about?” Sam asked as he stretched out his arms.

“I met a girl Saturday. Pretty little thing too. We went out Saturday night and Sunday night. Might see her again tonight too.” Dean replied.

Sam smiled. “Oh really? And here I thought you were crushing on our new aerobics instructor.” 

The lady that Sam spent so much time talking to each week, leaned past him to look at Dean.

“He is dreamy, isn’t he?” She asked.

“I’m not crushing on him!” Dean hissed in a low voice.

“Sure, whatever dude.” Sam rolled his eyes and started stretching his legs.

Dean swore under his breath and started his own stretches. Sam sure knew how to ruin his mood. He was just starting to stretch out his hamstrings when Cas cam gliding into the room. Dean almost fell over when he got a look at the man. He was dressed in a tank top that showed off how muscular his arms and chest really were, and tight, spandex pants that showed off his lean but equally muscular legs, and a butt that made it very difficult not to stare at. When Cas noticed him looking he smiled.

“Hello Dean, Sam.” He greeted them.

“Hey Cas.” Sam said cheerily.

“Uh, hey.” Dean grunted and quickly lowered his eyes to the floor.

“I think he dressed like that on purpose.” Sam’s new friend said, and then giggled.

“I agree. Seems Dean’s not the only one with a crush.” Sam told her, snickering.

“Dude, would you shut up?” Dean hissed.

Sam just rolled his eyes, clearly not caring what Dean had to say.

“Ok everyone, ready? We’ll take it a bit slower today.” Cas said as he started the music. 

To Dean’s delight Cas did go slower, and he had a much easier time keeping up. By the end of class he was nowhere near as sweaty or out of breath as he’d been the week before. Cas came over once people had started to file out of the room.

“Was that easier this time?” He asked.

“I’m sorry I’m so out of shape and that you had to slow things down. I’m trying though.” Dean told him.

“It’s perfectly fine. The fact that you’re trying is great.” Cas said, and smiled warmly. That smile was going to be the death of Dean.

“So you teach advanced aerobics?” Sam had come over with his new friend and Cas turned to look at him.

“I teach advanced aerobics, calisthenics, Zumba, a spin class, and when needed I teach water aerobics too. You might like that class Dean, since you like to swim.” Cas was looking at him again and Dean feel his cheeks burning.

“Oh, uh, yeah, maybe.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked over at Sam who looked ready to start cracking up laughing.

“So this is what you do for a living? You teach these classes?” Sam asked Cas.

“Yes. It’s my passion, I guess you could say. I used to be a runner. I still run, but I don’t do it as much. I qualified for the Olympics but didn’t make it all the way.” Cas replied.

“The Olympics, really?” And then Sam fell quickly into a conversation with Cas about running and to Dean’s surprise they were making plans to go running together Saturday morning.

“I’m going to go now. Kathy here and I are going to go grab dinner. Do you want to join us?” Sam asked his brother.

Dean looked from Sam to the woman who was practically glowing and then back to his brother.

“Nah, you guys have fun. I’m going to do a few laps in the pool. I’ll see you Thursday though.”

Sam nodded and patted his brother on the shoulder before leaving. And again Dean was left standing there with Cas.

Cas was watching him and he wondered what was going through the man’s head. 

“You look less winded tonight.” Cas observed.

“Oh, yeah. I kept up better with this pace. I should be able to do at least twenty laps in the pool tonight.” Dean felt like an idiot making this kind of small talk.

“That’s good. Building up your stamina is good. The water works all the core muscle groups since it adds so much resistance.” A look crossed Cas’ face that told Dean that he felt just as stupid talking about this stuff.

“Right. So…I’m going to go and do my laps. I’ll see you Thursday?” 

Cas nodded and smiled again. “Definitely. I’ll be here.” 

Dean watched the man turn and stride out of the room, marveling once again at how nice of an ass the instructor had. Suddenly he wasn’t so keen on calling Sarah up to go out tonight. Tonight he just wanted to go do his laps in the pool and then go home and think about those blue eyes and messy black hair. If he needed a cold shower later, well, that was no one else’s business.

Thursday Dean showed up to class before Sam did and when his brother walked in he looked surprised.

“You got here early, why?” Sam asked as he set his water bottled down and took off his workout pants so that he was only wearing shorts.

“I needed to get out of my apartment, they’re fumigating again and it smells horrible. Even the sweaty smell of people is preferable to that.” Dean told him.

“You really need to move Dean. Get yourself a house.” Sam said as he started warming up. 

“I’m already looking. Going to see a few places this weekend if you want to tag along.” Dean said.

“That’s awesome! Of course I’ll come, as long as we’re done by like five. I have dinner reservations with Kathy on Saturday.” Sam was blushing as he spoke, avoiding eye contact with his brother.

“You sly dog, getting dates in aerobics class!” Dean nudged his brother and chuckled.

“Who’s getting dates in class?” A familiar, deep voice asked, and Dean turned to see Cas walking in. He was early too.

“My brother here.” Dean said, grinning at his brother.

“Oh, the girl that was staring at you like you hung the stars and the moon last Tuesday?” Cas asked, now also grinning.

Sam blushed deeper. “Yeah, and please don’t say anything, she’ll be here soon.”

“I’ll be good.” Dean promised, but he was still grinning.

“She’s a pretty girl. I hope you’re happy.” Cas said as he started his own stretches.

Dean was watching him from the corner of his eye. Cas was very flexible, bending and stretching in ways that he wasn’t sure a human could or should bend in, but they seemed to come easily to Cas. Dean found his mind wandering, thinking about all of the things he would do to Cas in bed to utilize that flexibility. Embarrassed by his own mind Dean lowered his eyes to the floor and concentrated on stretching out the backs of his legs. As Dean stretched he felt someone come up behind him and tap his shoulder. He stood up to find another of the ladies from the class standing there. At least he knew her name, Lisa. He had talked to her a few times, even flirted a bit before Cas came to be their instructor. They hadn’t even talked the last few weeks.

“Hey Lisa, what’s up?” 

“Dean, you said you work on cars, right?” She asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, why? Something happen to yours?”

“It died when I pulled into the parking lot. I tried to start it again but it just made a clicking noise and wouldn’t start. Can you maybe take a look at it and tell me what kind of work I’m looking at and how much it’s going to cost me?” She was chewing on her lower lip, clearly distressed over her car not working right.

“Sure, after class I’ll take a look at it for you.” He smiled and she smiled back, relaxing a bit.

“Thank you Dean. I’ll treat you to a cup of coffee or something for the hassle.”

He smiled wider. “Yeah, sure, whatever. I just don’t want you without a working vehicle, I know you have a kid.”

She smiled and reached out, touching his arm. “Thank you, it means a lot that you’ll do this.”

He nodded and returned to his stretches though she didn’t move away. She stayed next to him and started on her own stretches. For a moment he watched her. It was hard not to. She had curves in all the right places and her body was lean. Then he felt eyes on him and he glanced up to find Cas staring at him. Was he…mad? Dean frowned, not sure what the expression on the instructor’s face was exactly before focusing on his own stretches again. When he looked over at his brother he saw that Kathy had arrived and they were engaged in a conversation about some movie they had both recently seen. So clearly Sam had missed the glare Cas was giving him. He couldn’t win.

“Alright everyone, let’s get started.” Cas said and started the music. And Dean was pretty sure the guy was pissed.

The workout was back to being brutal and Dean had to fight to keep up with the rest of the class. More than once Dean sent a pleading look Cas’ way but it didn’t seem to have any effect. In fact, Cas was deliberately not making eye contact with him at all. What the hell had he done to tick the guy off so bad? When class ended he leaned down with his hands on his knees and forced himself to get his breathing under control. 

“Are you ok Dean?” Lisa asked. She had a hand on his shoulder and was bending down to look at his face.

“I’m fine. Just give me a minute.” He gasped.

“You sure you’re ok?” A familiar, gravelly voice asked, though there seemed to be amusement in it.

Dean looked up to see Cas standing in front of him with his arms crossed, the muscles of his biceps flexing as he folded his arms tighter. This was a defensive stance that Dean was quite familiar with since he used it himself quite a bit.

“I’m fine.” He said, perhaps too harshly. He stood up and took a deep breath, thankful that he was able to exhale without still sounding like he was out of breath.

He turned to look at Lisa. “Let me take a quick shower. Ten minutes and I’ll meet you by the front doors, ok?”

She smiled and nodded. “Ok. And thank you again.” 

Sam was watching him with one eyebrow raised. 

“Her car died in the parking lot when she got here. I’m going to go see what’s wrong. I’ll see you next class.” He told him.

Sam nodded but said nothing else. He just watched Dean follow Lisa out before turning to look at Cas who was also watching them leave with a frown on his face.

“Dude, you screwed up.” He said, and Cas turned to look at him with a confused expression.

“Excuse me?”

“If you like my brother then getting jealous over Lisa is not going to put you in his favor. Neither is working him into the ground like that. Now he’s pissed.” Sam said.

“I think we all noticed that.” Kathy added.

“I do not-” Cas started to say but Sam cut him off.

“Look, if you want to lie to yourself, that’s fine. But I don’t like being lied to, and neither does my brother. He’s a good guy, and I know he’s got the hots for you. But you’re going to have to make it up to him after today’s class.”

Cas looked back toward the door by which Dean had left.

“But he left with Lisa…”

“He swings both ways dude. But he’s way more into you than he is her. I’m his brother and if I don’t know when he likes someone then no one does.” Sam chuckled.

Cas dropped his arms and sighed. He was suddenly aware of just what an idiot he had been. 

“Look, my brother’s a bartender. If you want to make it up to him he works over at The Roadhouse on Chauncey, right by the campus. Our surrogate mom Ellen owns the place. Dean’s technically the manager but mostly he tends bar. You should stop in and talk to him. And do it soon, before Lisa can dig her claws in.” Sam said.

And then Sam was gone, leading Kathy out, and Cas was left alone to feel like an ass.

Out at Lisa’s car Dean was under the hood checking her alternator and the cables to her battery. It was an old Chevy Nova and it didn’t look like it had received a lot of TLC under the hood. As he checked things he explained them to her and what he thought it was going to cost her.

“Unfortunately, you’re going to need a tow. I can give you a lift back to your place though, so you don’t have to call anyone or take the bus.” He offered.

She smiled warmly. “Thank you Dean, I appreciate that. My offer still stands for the coffee. Maybe you want to come back to my place? I can make us a pot.”

Tempting as that was he couldn’t get a certain pair of blue eyes out of his head. Plus he knew that for some reason Cas was ticked at him, though he wasn’t sure why. Still, he wanted to find out why before he took Lisa up on her offer.

“I can’t tonight, I have to get to work, but maybe another night.” He said, offering her a smile that he knew was forced. 

She smiled though he could see that she was taking it as a rejection. He couldn’t help it, he didn’t like her like that.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.” He told her.

She nodded and closed up her car as he shut the trunk, then they headed to his car. Swimming was not a possibility tonight and he was disappointed by that, but he figured he’d just do inventory when he got to work and save himself the hassle of having to do it tomorrow. 

It was a quick ride to Lisa’s house and she did try once more to convince him to come inside, but he politely declined and she didn’t hide her disappointment this time as she said goodnight and hurried to her front door. With a sigh he made the drive to work, parking in back. Ellen looked up surprised when he came walking in early.

“What are you doing here? I thought you did the gym thing on Thursdays?” She asked.

“I do, but after class I took a look at a car, and I didn’t feel like going back inside just to get wet again, so I decided to come in and tackle the inventory.” 

He went behind the bar and dug out his clipboard and the laptop that he used for inventory and got started. Ellen wasn’t complaining. If it meant she didn’t have to do the inventory herself, she was glad to have him here. For the next three hours he worked his way through the stock room and the kitchen before making his way back out to the bar. Ellen stepped in front of him to stop him. He looked up annoyed.

“The bar is the last part, move please.” 

“Dean, there’s a very attractive young man sitting at the bar asking after you. He’s been here over an hour now waiting for you to come out here. He wouldn’t let me go and get you before, but you’re out here now, so go talk to him.” 

She snatched the clipboard from his hands and then reached for the laptop. The bar was long and it was fairly crowded for a Thursday so he couldn’t tell who she was talking about.

“Did he give a name?” He asked.

“I think it’s Chris? Or maybe Cas? Something like that.” She replied and left to head into the back. 

Dean couldn’t move. Cas? What the hell would he be doing here? And how did he know where Dean worked? Slowly he started moving down the bar, checking patrons drinks as he went and smiling at people as they greeted him until he spotted a familiar head of near black hair about two thirds of the way down. He made his way over and stopped, putting both hands on the bar.

“What, uh, are you doing here?” He asked.

Cas had been nursing a beer and looking out over the dance floor where some girls were doing a poor job of line dancing but he turned at the sound of Dean’s voice.

“Oh hey. Your brother told me where you worked.” Cas replied, flashing him that smile that made him want to melt.

He couldn’t help but smile back. “Ok, but why?”

“Because I wanted to apologize for acting like an ass today. I shouldn’t have taken it out on the class, and I know it was too fast of a pace for you. I’m sorry about that.” Cas replied.

Dean narrowed his eyes and studied the man.

“So you had to come down to my work to apologize?” 

Cas’ smile faltered and he looked down at the beer in his hand.

“Your brother said I shouldn’t wait until Tuesday because I was an ass.”

Dean started laughing. He couldn’t help it. Just the way Cas said it, it was freaking adorable. Plus he was picturing Sam telling him to apologize for being an ass. 

“Yeah, he likes to stick his nose into anything and everything. I think I’m the only person that your faster pace is bothering, but I’m adapting. I might even be dropping some weight finally. I don’t think I was with Charlie leading the class.” 

Cas looked up at him but his expression was rather serious.

“Is that what you’re in the class for? To lose weight?”

Dean shrugged. “I’m sneaking up on forty and I’m getting a little thicker around the middle. I don’t like it, so I thought it was time to get in shape. I stopped drinking, I stopped eating burgers all the time, and I started exercising. If I’m ever going to have a midlife crisis, this is it. No sports cars for me, just chicken salads and aerobics.”

Cas snorted and slapped a hand over his nose and mouth the moment the sound escaped, but it just made him laugh harder.

“I know, I’m a bucket of laughs, fat old Dean Winchester doing aerobics instead of out seducing eighteen year old girls with my non-existent Lamborghinis.” Dean said dryly.

“Dean, you are not fat. Not by a long shot, and I admire your dedication to your health, even if it is rather newly developed. Taking care of one’s body is hard work, and the fact that you want to do it at all is impressive. You should see my brother, he has a candy addiction. It’s disturbing.” Cas said, his laughter now long gone. He had that serious tone again.

“So what did I do to piss you off earlier and make you take it out on the class?” Dean asked.

The lighting in here wasn’t the greatest, it was supposed to encourage a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, but Dean was positive Cas was blushing. Cas chewed thoughtfully on the inside of his cheek and it looked like he was puckering up for a kiss, though his eyes were cast downward toward his nearly empty beer.

“You didn’t do anything. I was just being an ass.”

Dean turned around and grabbed a new bottle from the cooler under the counter and before Cas knew it had happened Dean had plucked the old bottle out of his hands and set the new one down. He then reached over and popped the top on it for him.

“It’s on the house.” He said, and smiled.

Cas looked up and smiled back.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to swim this afternoon.”

Dean shrugged. “I was thinking about going in early Tuesday to do it but then I know I’ll be too tired for class, so I’ll just try and do double afterwards.”

“I like swimming. I did a triathlon once. Felt like I was dying and I almost didn’t complete it, but it was a fun experience now that I look back on it. I won’t do it again, mind you, but it was something worth remembering.” Cas told him.

“I don’t much enjoy exercising, but I love the water. Swimming to me isn’t exercising. It’s more akin to meditation. I lose myself in the repetitive strokes and my mind just goes blank. It’s very calming.” Dean admitted.

Cas nodded. “I know exactly what you mean.”

Dean excused himself to attend to several other patrons but he kept finding himself returning to the aerobics instructor who had ordered a chicken salad with a side of steamed vegetables and was now sitting at the bar eating and watching Dean work. He had to admit, he liked having those blue eyes on him, and he knew there had to be an ulterior motive for why the man had come down here. After he was sure everyone was served, Dean returned to where Cas was still sitting.

“So why did you really come down here? And don’t try to B.S. me either. My radar is infallible.” 

Cas almost choked on the green bean he had just put in his mouth and he quickly coughed into his hand hoping Dean wouldn’t notice his reaction but when he looked up there was a smirk on the man’s lips that told Cas he knew exactly why he had come down here.

“Are you really going to make me say it?” Cas asked, and he didn’t care that he sounded whiny either.

Dean raised an eyebrow, waiting.

Cas sighed heavily and rolled his eyes which just made Dean chuckle.

“Guys don’t generally come down here unless they have something to say that extends beyond ‘I’m sorry’, so tell me Cas, why exactly did you come here?”

Cas contemplated just paying for his meal and getting up and leaving. This was beyond embarrassing. Dean must have saw the indecision in eyes because suddenly he leaned his entire upper body on the bar, putting his green eyes only a few inches away from Cas’ own blue ones and his expression softened.

“Can I ask you something? It’s kind of personal though, and you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

Cas hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. “Okay.”

“Are you into men? Cause I keep getting these mixed signals from you, and I have a hard enough time with signals as it is. I’m an upfront kind of person, honest and blunt, and it sure felt like you were trying to punish me in class today. I can’t quite figure out why though. Was it because of Lisa?” Dean asked.

This time, being this close Dean was positive the man was blushing, but he was also squirming in his seat. Dean wanted answers though. He didn’t think he deserved being hammered relentlessly in class today.

“If you’re asking if I’m gay, the answer is yes, I am. I’m not good with signals period, so if I sent mixed ones, I apologize. And yes, I kind of got jealous seeing Lisa hanging on you like that. Ok, are you happy now?” 

When Cas looked up his expression was one of misery and embarrassment and Dean didn’t like seeing him like that.

“No, I’m not happy, and I’ll tell you why. I don’t like seeing you upset like this, ok? Lisa just needed me to check out her car. It’s screwed, I made her call a tow and I drove her home. Did she want me to come inside her house? Absolutely. Did I want to? No. I declined not once but twice because I couldn’t get a certain pair of blue eyes out of my damn head. So, are you happy now?” Dean countered.

“Wait, what?” Cas asked, trying to figure out exactly what Dean meant by that.

“I’m saying I like you, not Lisa. She’s nice, but not my type.”

“And I am?” Cas asked, surprised.

“Have you looked in a mirror lately?” Dean asked, flashing him a flirty smile.

Cas blushed again but he was smiling too.

“Oh, ok. I like you too Dean, in case making a fool of myself this afternoon wasn’t enough humiliation.”

“You just confused me. I drove all the way here wondering what the hell I had done.” Dean said.

Cas reached across the bar and put his hand over Dean’s.

“I’m still sorry about that. I’ll slow the pace down from now on.”

“How about you let me take out to dinner one of these nights?” Dean asked.

Cas smiled and Dean felt his own heart fluttering at the sight of it.

“That would be great.”

Dean let him finish his meal and when it was done he noticed Cas gathering his coat to head out. He finally took the time to appreciate what the man had worn to come down here tonight. He was dressed in black dress pants and a white dress shirt with blue pin stripes that were almost the same shade of blue as his eyes, though he had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looking freaking hot.

“Hang on, if you’re leaving I’ll walk you out.” Dean told him and Cas nodded. He had his coat on but he sat back down to wait.

Dean hurried into the back where Ellen was sitting and going over the inventory that Dean had already finished. She looked up when he walked in.

“Hey, can you watch the bar for me for a few minutes? I need to step outside for a bit. I won’t be long.” He promised.

“Does it have to do with that man with the sapphire eyes and sex hair?” She teased.

Dean felt his cheeks starting to burn.

“Yeah, it is. That’s my aerobics instructor and he’s totally into me. I asked him out for next week, but tonight I just want to walk him to his car.”

“And kiss the crap out of him. You can’t fool me boy.” She said, laughing.

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not holding my breath, but if it happens, I’d be very happy.”

She stood up and shooed him away. “Go kiss your lover boy and get out of my hair.” 

“Thanks Ellen, I’ll b back in a few.” 

Dean went back out and this time came around to where Cas was sitting. He turned on his stool and stood up. Not sure if it was too soon or not Dean held his hand out and with a huge grin Cas took it, lacing their fingers together as they started for the door. Once they were outside Cas led him over to a little sports car parked almost on the other end of the lot.

“So let me give you my number.” Dean told him and waited for Cas to hand over his phone. Dean added his number to the contacts list before handing the phone back.

“Call me. Maybe we can do something Saturday night? I’m going house hunting in the morning but I’ll be free after four.” Dean said.

Cas nodded and tucked the phone back in his pocket. For a moment he just stared at Dean.

“Geez, this is killing me.” Dean muttered before grabbing the front of Cas’ coat and pulling the man closer. He kissed him then, but it was slow, tentative as he waited to see how Cas was going to react. To his delight Cas’s hands snaked around his neck, pulling him in deeper as his lips parted to allow Dean’s tongue entry. Then Cas was groaning, one hand moving from Dean’s neck down to his hip and forcing him even closer. Dean went with it, letting Cas’ demanding mouth take control. As far as Dean was concerned this was beyond hot, and gave him an inkling of what kind beast Cas was in the bedroom. They only broke apart when they realized they both needed air. 

“Holy…wow!” Dean gasped.

His fingers were still lost in the soft, dark mess that Cas called hair. Cas was smiling up at him.

“So, I’ll call you tomorrow and we can make plans, would that be ok?” Cas asked.

“Absolutely.” Dean agreed.

He watched Cas get into his little sports car and drive away and thought to himself that from now on, he was really going to look forward to aerobics class. And maybe in a few months he’d even sign up for the water aerobics class too. Things were really starting to look good for Dean, and never before had he looked forward to exercising as much as he did now.

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you liked this and if you have any prompts you'd like to suggest (I LOVE PROMPTS), please leave a comment. I LOVE Destiel, in case you haven't noticed, lol. Let me know what you think, I do respond to comments, and I appreciate the feedback. My world revolves around writing, so please, prompt away, and tell me what you think. Thanks!


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